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Saturday, 10 March 2012

If I Could Only Own 3 Makeup Brushes - MAC 239, 217 and 224

Today, I am going to review my 3 favourite makeup brushes which happen to all be eyeshadow brushes and surprise! are all by MAC. Behold, from left to right, the MAC 217, MAC 224 and the MAC 239. Sorry the pictures have shadows on them, I really need to improve my photography. If you read my last blog, you would know that the MAC 239 is my favourite brush. My second favourite is the MAC 217 and my third favourite is the MAC 224. As I explained in my previous blog, I lost all of my makeup brushes in a series of unfortunate events nearly 2 years ago. After I lost these brushes, I ran right out and repurchased these. The MAC 239 retails for $24.50 U.S. and $29.50 Cdn. As I previously mentioned, this is hands down the best eyeshadow brush on the market for sweeping a base colour onto your lids or packing on colour. You can also turn the brush sideways and use it to put colour in the crease or blend the crease out a bit. It offers smooth application and makes eyeshadow look fabulous on your lids.

The MAC 217, my second favourite, is a multipurpose brush. It is good for applying colour to the crease, blending out the crease and even for applying paint pots or cream shadows. This too, is the best brush of its type on the market. No contest. I have a few versions of the Sigma would be MAC 217 dupe, their E35, and there is no comparison in my mind. The Sigma version is fluffier, not as precise and is scratchy. I will save my Sigma vs. MAC brush review for another day. The MAC 217 is great for me because I do not have large eyes and I can not really use a huge crease brush. This brush retails for $22.50 U.S. and $27.00 Cdn. This is always the brush I reach for if I am doing any crease work.

The MAC 224, was the second MAC brush I ever bought after the MAC 239 which was my first love. Some people use the MAC 224 for their crease, but I find it is a bit too big for me. This brush is supposed to give you a "natural crease" look, so more blended out and not so precise. Personally, I like this brush to blend out the edges of my crease and I also like it for blending out colour anywhere on my eye where I have made a mistake or have gone in too heavy handed with colour. It blends colours together well too. So if you have a lot going on colour-wise on your eye and the look is not coming together easily, use this brush to blend. This brush is $30 U.S. and $36.50 Cdn.

I will get around to reviewing my other MAC brushes and some other brushes by other brands soon. I always found it useful to know what brush did what and if they were any good before I invested in them. At these prices, it is an investment and you don't want to make a foolish purchase, or at least I don't.

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About Me

Hi, I am a self-confessed make-up addict and collector. I am, by no means, any sort of trained make-up artist or guru. Over the years I have tried practically every brand of cosmetics known to (wo)man. I am 30 something and work in the financial sector by day and look for new make-up, health and beauty products by night. I would love to share my thoughts on products and hear about beauty items and make-up products which you covet, love or just plain hate. You can contact me at mymakeupissues@hotmail.com - I am open to requests.